


Vive la Valdangelo

by Echo_luvs_Leo (Nickory)



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Argo II (Percy Jackson), Birthday, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Camping, Character Death, Curses, Death, Dragon Clan, Dragon Riders, Dragon shifters, Fantasy, Fire, Freeform, Getting doused on your birthday, Haiku, Hypothermia, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kissing in the Rain, Leo Valdez Needs a Hug, Leo is a dragon, Letters, Lists, Love Letters, Love Poems, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mythology - Freeform, Mythomagic (Percy Jackson), Nature, Nico di Angelo's Birthday, Nico is his rider, OTP Feels, Obsidian swords, Plans For The Future, Poor Nico, Prose Poem, Rain, Rainbows, Slideshow, Suicide, Summer Vacation, Therapy, Vacation, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23109424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nickory/pseuds/Echo_luvs_Leo
Summary: Valdangelo (Or maybe other ships too?... I dunno)Originally known as ' Not so 30 days of Valdangelo'  but you can all guess how that turned out so i'm turning it into a random oneshot kinda thing.Still Inspired by GoldenEmpire‘s Freo otp challenge and the mixed ship one because they’re so awesome!I love Valdangelo with all my heart and soul and though I have a thousand one OTPs, Valdangelo would always be my fav.So my adorable dragons, ladies, unicorns and gentlemen,  i present to you 'Vive la Valdangelo'.*Updates are ridiculously irregular*
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Leo Valdez
Comments: 12
Kudos: 34





	1. Believer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I cant believe i wrote this. 3k words! ik right, pathetic, 3k is my best? Yea and im proud of it!  
> Tell me how i did!💙

_-_

The moment Leo Valdez left his therapist’s office, he knew there was a ridiculously low probability that he’d get better. Little but still there none the less and with that tiny bit of hope, he decided that maybe he’d try. _Maybe_.

Leo thought this to himself as he exited his therapist’s apartment to wait for his aunt, _la bruja_ \- the witch. A black Sentra wheeled around the corner. Leo grinned trying to hide his relief behind a smile as the car stopped for him to get in.

“I thought you had basketball practice” he eyed the driver.

His friend rolled his eyes amusedly, “I ditched and Rosa said I could pick you up today!”

“Thanks” Leo didn’t even question it. Nico was his friend so he guessed that that’s what friends do.

“Welcome. So…” Nico di Angelo trailed as they drove off.

He was glad Nico was here for him to rant off to, “ So she gave me this dumb assignment to write a list of the things I wanna achieve in life. Honestly I think there’s no point since this boy aint got the years on his calendar to achieve anything.”

He heard Nico inhale sharply. Nico knew of his plans for the future, the future that was nearing by the passing days and had long given up his attempt to reason with him, “Leo, you know she’s trying to help you.” Nico turned to him briefly flashing a sad smile.

“What if I don’t want help” he challenged.

“Don’t lie to yourself, Leo. I know you do”

“Yes but not from her.” He was referring to the woman who facilitated his therapy sessions.

“Then who?” Nico asked turning his eyes back to the road.

Leo thought about it. Of course he had friends and they’d all be pitiful enough to help but that was his problem. He didn’t want them to pity him. He didn’t want their help out of pity and of all of them the only one who he absolutely knew would help him without sparing a single pitiful glance at him was-

“You. You’re the only one I trust to help”

And that wasn’t because Nico didn’t care. Leo knew he did a lot. He knew the reason Nico even stayed around him was because of that but mainly because he understood. He understood everything Leo was going through enough to know that pity doesn’t fix anything as much as sorry does. They were just overrated words and feelings.

“Mhm okay” Nico hummed. They were almost to Leo’s aunt’s house, “ -Okay. I’ll help. How about we start tomorrow. You come over?”

“Wait- I said I wasn’t gonna-“

Nico stared straight at him eyes cold and void of light like two inky black holes of disappointment trying to cut its way into him. Leo really hated it when Nico looked at him like that.

“Fine, I’ll try!” he huffed.

Nico smiled and his eyes turned warm again as the car came to a stop at Leos house. They exchanged their goodbyes and Leo bound up his front door steps into the evil witch’s lair.

\- - -

The next morning was a Saturday, after his morning dose of Aunt Rosa screaming bloody hell at him in three different languages, he managed to sneak out to Nico’s place.

Nico was an only child of a famous forensic sculptor, Hades di Angelo. His mother and sister had died in an accident a few years before Nico had met Leo. Their meeting had been under the most coincidental of instances.

They had both been broken over their losses and problems with the world, that had drawn them closer but years past and eventually Nico healed, leaving only his scars as a reminder of his pain. It was then that Leo realized that he was finding it hard to move on as Nico had done. Instead, he got worse to the verge of not even flinching at the thought of him dying. He became suicidal, low self esteem, he couldn’t sleep some night along with other things that make him fucked up.

Then one day Rosa- _la bruja-_ set a foot down and dragged Leo to therapy.

Leo had long gotten over the shock he felt whenever he came into Nico’s home. It was one of the largest buildings in their little messed up town and Leo appreciated it that Nico hated to brag about how much privileged he was.

The two boys lay on the bed in Nico di Angelo’s room as the owner of said room flicked through his phone while waiting for his friend to find a page to write on. Nico watched him knowing that he was helping his friend was enough to make him happy.

He put his phone on the dresser when Leo cleared his throat.

“Okay.” He sat up cross legged on the bed and grabbed the book and pen from Leo.

**_ What I want to achieve in life _ **

he scribbled the heading nicely and boldly at the top of the page and handed it back to Leo.

“Fancy” Leo commented. And scrawled a number 1 underneath it. “What now _, Signor Terapeuta_?”

Leo stared at him expectantly.

“Alright. So uh- we just get to it.” Nico declared. Leo chuckled, “ Alright, I have no idea how to start.” Admitted Nico.

“Kay then, I’ll start. Nico di Angelo, what do you wanna achieve in life?” Leo asked in a voice full of mischief.

Nico’s expression changed to a confused yet amused one, “ This is about you not me”

“You wanna help me or not, pal?” he asked in a monotone. Nico nodded still confused. Leo was beginning to enjoy confused Nico, “ Alrighty then. Answer the question.”

Nico sighed giving in, “ I was always afraid of death and being forgotten and stuff. That’s why when I grow up, I want to leave a mark. I don’t want people to forget me. I want to do something good for the world so that they’ll remember me and I wouldn’t just be a rotting corpse in the ground’

Nico noted that Leo was scribbling something down and nodding as Nico told his tale. He looked up and read what he had written out loud, “ **Leave a mark and be remembered as Leo the amazing.** Noble **”** he commented.

 **“** Hey!” Nico crossed his arms over his chest, ”dream thief”

Leo smiled innocently, “Besties can share dreams can’t they, bestie?”

“Uh...Yeah, well- fine! But I’m not giving you anymore answers”

“This ain’t a test, bestie”

“Stop calling me that. Its weird.”

“O- okay. Anywho… I know what I wanna achieve in life! Nico motioned for him to go on.

Leo scribbled something down and handed the book to Nico.

“Two. **Start my own fixing shop** ” Nico read. He looked at Leo awaiting elaboration.

Leos voice turned sad, “Y’know my Mom used to own a workshop and I loved to work with her. I always dreamed of opening my own when I grow up. I wanted it to be right next to hers. I don’t know why but even after everything I still have this urge to do this. Just to honour her. Not that it’d happen anyway. I wont last long enough to live up to it”

Nico frowned, “Leo… are you okay?”

He understood Nico’s concern. His mother had always been a touchy subject to him but surprisingly those wounds didn’t hurt as much anymore.

“I’m fine” he said and Nico didn’t touch more on it.

“That’s good. We got two so what next?”

“Ugh, I need to thi-“

“Shit” Nico gritted out of nowhere. “ I have basket ball practice today.” He recalled and grabbed his phone off the dresser. His eyes widen, “ And if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late! This is my third strike!”

“Oh,” Leo eyed Nico questionably as he scrabbled around grabbing his stuff in panic. The full heat of it suddenly hit him, “OH, I got the keys! Go go GO!”

“Hedge’s gonna kill me”

\- - -

Nico barely made it on time with only seconds to spare.

As Nico played, he watched Leo in the bleachers any moment he had the chance to. He wasn’t concentrating on the practice match. Nico felt the corners of his lips tug upward as he noted that Leo was writing in the book that contained the list, expanding _their_ list.

After the match, he hurriedly picked his things and bound towards his car where he knew Leo would be waiting.

“So, what have you gotten?” he asked craning his neck to peak at the list that sat comfortably on the passengers seat.

They entered the car and started moving before Leo answered him, “ Well, watching you play, I realized something.” He said in this all too serious tone to belong to Leo Valdez.

After a long pause Nico rolled his eyes, “ Are you going to tell me?”

“Impatient much. I was having an internal monologue!’ he complained, “ Anywho, I realized that… I… am…. Way too short for my age! Like fuck, do you see any other seventeen year olds whoare four foot nines? Look at you! And all your other teammates. I look like a 10 year old! “ he exclaimed shoving the book into Nico’s hand. Nico used up all his will power not to chastise him against distracting the driver. Instead, he read off the list.

In Leos handwriting,

 **“Grow taller”** and under that, “ **Meet Ironman** ”

Nico sighed and pushed the book into Leos hand, “ And you act like one too.” He mumbled, “ I’m not even gonna ask why that’s on there.”

“I gotta meet my future business partner.” He smirked.

“ I didn’t ask but okay” a random thought flashed across the driver’s mind, Perhaps out of curiosity, “ Hey, Leo, how about finding love? Maybe meet a nice girl and get a nice house and have a nice baby and start a nice family? Unless… you meet a guy or something then that’s cool too”

Leo’s eye brows furrowed as if the thought of love never crossed him till then, then he shook his head dismissively curls bouncing as he tilted his head at Nico, “ Nah… why do you ask?”

“ Dunno, random thought”

“Well, that better be it. I got a little voice nagging at me that you just might like me.”

Nico tsked.

“Of course but who’d blame you, I’m beautiful” he flipped his non existant ponytail then his tone turned serious “ But really. I don’t- I don’t like you or anyone for that matter” Nico was trying to grasp at what was hiding between the lines but let it drop when he couldn’t.

“So, wanna go back to my place?” Nico offered.” To continue with the list”

“Umm, sorry. I gotta go home. Rosa’s gonna kill me for staying out past lunch time.” Leo began fidgeting with the seatbelt strap that he almost never wore.

“Oh” Nico sounded sad, “OK, ill drop you off.”

\- - -

Leo called Nico later that day to tell him that Rosa was really really mad at him and locked him up in the attic though he had no idea why she cared that he was there for lunch or not.

“But at least I get free time to talk to you”

Nico could almost hear the grin in his voice.

“Right, so any progress on your list?”

“Oh, you reminded me! I added something” he heard the thin scuffling of clothes and brush of objects against each other like Leo was looking for something, most likely his book.

“Find my dad and tell him how much of a dick he was” he read.

Before Nico could speak, Leo proceeded, “ I figured that if it weren’t for him, none of this would have happened. If he had been here, mom might still be alive and I wouldn’t have to stay with la bruja and I wouldn’t have to go to therapy and-“

“You wouldn’t have met me.” Nico blurted through the phone.

“What?”

“It was because of all this that we met. If we never had, I’d literally be dead by now. I’d have been a rotting corpse in the ground, gone and forgotten.” Nico whispered, “ You remember? How we met?”

Leo felt a guilty wave wash over him as he was taken back to years ago.

And instead of the stuffy boxes in the attic, Leo was suddenly seeing red.

_Fire_

_+_

The blaring horns of ambulances, fire service and police where too loud, the lights were harsh and bright, the smell, toxic and the tears salty. A little boy with curly brown hair and large eyes broke out of the grasp of the big burly men and sped down the street dashing into an alley.

He was crying. Though young, the little latino was smart enough to know that anyone who had been in that blaze was dead, anyone and everyone except him. His mother had been in there and out of the soot black bodies that now took a liking to charcoal, he couldn’t identify the one that belonged to Esperenza Valdez, his mother.

When the sounds were far behind him, he stopped and slumped against the cold greasy wall, some rodent scuttled around in the alley but he didn’t care. It didn’t matter he thought as he realized what he was now, an orphan. A homeless street runt no better than those rodents he found disgusting. He cried even harder

“Hey hey, don’t cry” came a small voice from somewhere in the darkness. The latino jumped up immediately in fright scanning his surroundings for a weapon of sorts. Another boy, about his age or so emerged from the dark and stood over him. He had inky black hair and pale skin, he examined the latino with his soft puffy eyes like he’d been crying too.

Something made a clink on the ground and his gaze shifted to the small yet sharp bread knife at the boys feet. He wanted to back out of the alley and run away but he didn’t as the boy knelt infront of him and handed him a tissue from his pocket.

“ I’m Nico”

“L-Leo” he managed to sob out.

“Leo, why are you crying?”

+

“-eo, Leo!” he snapped out of the past and back into reality, his heart was pounding so hard and fast.

“But-“

Leo could hear Nico’s ragged breaths, _he’s trying not to cry. But why?_ “ Gods Leo! You scared me. And well, as I was saying, if you remember that night, I never told you why I had a knife. I was going to kill myself. In that very alley but then you came and interrupted me. First I hid then you began to cry and I came out because it hurt to watch someone else cry. Leo, if you hadn’t come when you did, I would have made a big mistake. I have always felt like I have owed it to you, my entire life. But, that’s being selfish you know. You’re right, your mother shouldn’t have died. She was a good person.”

Leo felt betrayed rather than whatever the hell Nico wanted to feel.” So It was pity all along. The reason you even stick around me…pity, just like everyone else”

“NO! Leo, no.” he heard a gasp, “ Its not that, sympathy and pity are cruel, I know. But that’s not why. The reason was so hard for me to get at first and when I did, I began to feel things. Helping you made me feel better, it fixed me. I healed and moved on and I wanted to help you do same. You don’t deserve any of this Leo…”

Leo held the phone to his ears unable to say a word, “Leo, Leo?”

 _Yea?_ He wanted to respond but the word got stuck in his throat.

“I was an idiot to think you like me” he said without reason. Why was he hurting Nico? He wanted to stop.

“ No Leo! I- I just- just Leo, bye” he cut the call.

\- - -

Leo banged on the attic door screaming bloody murder for all his voice’s worth until be could no more. The attic began to feel small as fear took up all the space, suffocating him. He tried not to think of what he had just done. Hurt Nico? Something he had never dreamt of doing.

The Nico that had been sweet and kind to him since they’d met. Leo knew he was a screw up but it was fine when he screwed up his own life but it was different when he screwed up someone else’s like Nico’s. Like a dozen fiery blades cutting through him. He slumped to the ground, head to his knees and suddenly, he was that little latino crying in the alley years ago.

He reached for the list and glared at it in malice, hastily scrawling a number six because he didn’t have the heart to cancel out number five. “Heal and move on” he whispered as he wrote that down. Why couldn’t he just do that?

He shrieked in agony and ripped the damn page out.

\- - -

Leo didn’t remember falling asleep but when he woke up, the attic door was open, and the sky was getting darker.

He gripped the ripped page with the list to his chest and dashed through the streets that he had navigated many times before, stopping before a grand Victorian-like mansion.

He knocked and the moments he spent waiting with the knowing that he might have triggered something in his friend and it might be too late was killing him.

He stared at his list wondering why he had brought the cursed thing with him. HE run out of patience and pushed at the door, finding that it was opened but having no time to ask questions on why. He made for Nico’s room. He knew exactly where it was.

When he entered the room and saw the balcony door opened, fear ripped at his chest, _I’m too late, too late, too late._

But as he advanced towards it, he noticed the dark form at the window, slowly creeping to the edge. He let out a relieved breath.

Never before has he seen Nico like this, not even when he had been broken. He gripped at his friends shoulder and tore him away from the edge. Nico was wrapped in a long red scarf that Leo recalled belonged to Bianca- his sister. Nico had never once touched his dead sister’s things.

He glared at him with those cold eyes that just broke through him.

“Why wait?” Leo blurted before thinking. Well, actually he began to wonder, why had Nico chosen now to do it when he had all that time when Leo had been trapped.

“Because I knew you’d come” Nico managed a small smile and slumped to the ground. Leo followed suit.

“I’m sorry”

A cold waft drifted into the room from the open window.

“I know”

“Here” Leo shoved the crumpled up paper into Nico’s hand. Nico read:

**_ What I want to achieve in life _ **

  1. **Leave a mark and be remembered as Leo the amazing**
  2. **Start my own fixing shop**
  3. **Grow taller**
  4. **Meet Ironman**



The next thing on the list had been crossed out.

“They count. The crossed out ones are part” Leo said fidgeting with his fingers.

Nico looked up at him, Leo whose eyes stayed fixed on the list before reading it anyway

  1. **~~Find love. I mean, Confess to Nico once and for all~~** ~~.~~



“Go on” Leo urged. Nico complied.

  1. **Find my dad and tell him how much of a dick he was**
  2. **Heal and move on**



Nico pushed the list back into Leos hands then without warning wrapped Leo into a hug.

When he pulled away, he shifted closer to his closest and bestest friend,

“You did it. You wrote a list” Nico pointed out fondly.

Nico could see the tears pricking in Leo’s eyes. “I did”

The dark haired boy chuckled, “Leo, why are you crying?”

\- - -

Mrs. Callida interlaced her fingers on the table in front of Leo who grinned up at her. She had examined his list, rewritten and perfected by yours truly.

“You know Leo, this is the first time you have actually shown a positive response to an exercise. Good job” she droned and that was it. But to Leo, a good job from his therapist meant more than a bunch of words. It meant that it was working, he was healing.


	2. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day two: Write a poem about nature

-

Nico di Angelo thrummed his fingers over the table top and yawned. Clearly not inspired.

 _”No rush”_ he whispered to himself. He had an assignment due Monday (aka Tomorrow) and it was 1am and he had only written as much as a title for his poem. Yeah, no rush.

He reread the title.

_Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder_

Nico had no idea why he had picked this one. Maybe it had seemed easy at the time. Maybe if he had a few days he could write a splendid literary piece that was sure to woo his teacher as usual but he didn’t have that time yet he wasn’t ready to disappoint his professor.

_Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder_

He run a hand through his dark hair in frustration. If Leo were here he’d have definitely been heavenly inspired. Leo had that effect on him but unfortunately his boyfriend was halfway across the world on holidays with one of his friends from back when they were in high school.

Nico couldn’t remember why he turned down going with them for extra summer classes.

The screen of his laptop shifted to screen saver from the inactivity. He reached to tap any key and resume pondering over the blank Microsoft Word sheet but then he hesitated.

A slideshow of his saved pictured flashed on the screen. Leo set that as his screensaver so that Nico could _be inspired by their best moments as he worked._

The time they went to the beach.

That time at the mall.

Their date at the movies.

Nico chuckled at the selfie they took about a summer back when they went camping recalling their misfortune on the trip and how it went.

_The sun had been high above in the cloudless sky and telling from the cheerful chirp of the birds, Nico di Angelo could tell that it was going to be a beautiful day as he bound up the hill with an overly excited significant other. Besides, the birds were singing, the flowers blooming and everything was perfect._

_But of course he had to jinx it when it began to rain._

_First things first, for the record Nico was absolutely not an outdoors person so you may ask, what is a totally not outdoors person doing out in the middle of nowhere during a thunder storm? Well, the answer is simple. Leo Valdez._

_Leo was this annoying yet cute pestilence that happened to be Nico’s boyfriend._

_“I’m totally feeling the amazing great outdoors” Nico mumbled, shivering violently. He wondered why he had allowed Leo to drag him out here._

_His latino boyfriend who was shivering as well grinned up at him clearly taking his sarcasm the wrong way,’ See, Leo is right as always”_

_They had found shelter in an open cave and settling down on the ground as the cold stung their skin._

_“Stop talking in third person”_

_“Why?”_

_Nico rolled his eyes evn though Leo obviously couldn’t see him in the darkness,” ‘Because, its annoying”_

_“Oh, I’m sorry, Niccolo” Leo teased_

_“Leonidas” the cringe on Leos face made Nico smirk._

_“Death breath” he lashed back._

_“Loud mouth!”_

_“Mr Happy meals!”._

_“It was that one time you caught me. Shut up!” Nico snapped with enough malice for Leo to comply in fear. The silence began to unsettle Nico and he could feel it getting colder._

_“So cold” Leo finally said shivering and leaned back into Nico’s shoulder._

_He pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him. Leo was so warm in his arms._

_“For the record, the only reason I’m cuddling you is because you’re warm” Leo mumbled into his boyfriend’s wet jacket._

_Nico laughed and pulled out his phone. There was no signal in the middle of absolutely nowhere but he was still glad that he brought it along. Nico held it over their heads and took a picture and announced that he was definitely keeping it._

_Leo didn’t complain but rather snuggled closer_

_Suddenly, the great outdoors didn’t seem so bad now that he got to cuddle with Leo_.

Nico smiled as the image changed to a different one. When he was sure that he had seen each and every photo, he tapped at the keyboard.

_Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder_

_What is beauty?_

_Well, I think beauty is a natural phenomenon._

_The sunshine streaming through your window,_

_A minor bird singing in soprano_

_The sand between your toes at the beach_

_The fluffy clouds you only dream to reach_

_The ocean glistens spectrums of colours_

_Blues of all shades, tints, hues and manners_

_Now you’re in the woods,_

_Beauty can describe the gentle creaking of the crickets_

_And the frogs croaking in the thickets_

_The stars, so bright-_

_Pitter- patter. Now its raining_

_And after that, a rainbow emerges_

_Red, Orange, Yellow, green-_

_Creatures are beautiful too_

_The lions that roar-_

_Beauty can be all this and more_

_To me,_

_Beauty can be a kind hand, a gentle hug_

_A warm kiss, a loving embrace_

_Beauty is love_

_Beauty can also be a simple smile_

_Small? But can take you further than miles._

_-Nico di Angelo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, i updated! Wow, i'm wondering if pigs fly yet-  
> Excuse my poem writing skills and please please please tell me how i did in the comments.


	3. Something about haikus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day four: Write a Haiku

-

It was a crisp very un-normal January morning.

Unless you think it is normal for a Hispanic male to run around camp shrieking in three different languages.

If so, for you, it was a normal crisp January morning. The floor was carpeted by a thin layer of half-melted snow and Nico di Angelo, son of hades extraordinaire was up and about looking for someone to play Mythomagic with because his boyfriend was too busy to spend time with him.

Strangely enough, everyone else was apparently either busy as well or nowhere to be found.

“Good Morning Nico!” William Solace grinned at him from the infirmary stairs. Nico immediately hid the deck of card behind his back because Will sunshine-son-of-Apollo Solace was not the best person to play Mythomagic -or literally any card game really- with unless you like long games and pausing every few minutes to explain the entire concept of the game over and over. Yeah… he was the absolute worst at it in the entire universe and beyond.

“Hi Will!” he greeted back, “What’s up?”

Will snickered, “Jason Grace” he said, pointing upwards and indeed there poised directly above Nico di Angelo’s head was the blond son of Zeus, Jason Grace with a bucket of what was probably water in hand.

“Will” he whined, slowly descending to the ground, “You weren’t supposed to tell him!”

Will crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged, “Well, I’m not dealing with anymore hypothermia cases this month”

“It’s not that cold” Jason defended. But if you had looked in the bucket, you could literally see little glaciers of ice floating around in there and suddenly, Nico was thankful that it was not him that it got dumped on.

“Just don’t.” Will said sternly,” Anyway, Nico, I think you should really go find Leo. Something interesting might happen today” he said, not even trying to hide his evident smirk. And that was the sign that something was up and it involved a curly haired son of Hephaestus and the creepy smirk on William Solace’s face

“Righttt.” Jason dragged, “I think I saw him by the pavilion running around like a crazy person.”

Nico started to feel uneasy, “What did you do, Will?”

“Oh nothing really”

“I swear, if you-“

There was a loud scream.

Nico glared at Will before running off to the dining pavilion.

Jason was about to take off after him.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Will asked in this mother-knows-best voice.”

Jason paused for a moment, “To douse this on Percy since you won’t let me on Nico.”

“Jason!”

“What? He can’t get hypothermia. It’s a dumb Poseidon thing!” he explained before taking off.

Will sighed and run after him because he was really being serious about the hypothermia thing.

\- - -

When Leo saw Nico, he nearly crashed into him.

“Oh, thank gods, Nico! / I didn’t do anything/ And now I can’t stop!” he said in an incomprehensible rush.

Nico grabbed his shoulders and got him to look at him, “Leo, calm down and tell me exactly what happened.”

Leo managed to even his breathing, ‘’Me desperté hoy / primero, ¡lo ignoré / es tan extraño!” He rapped off unknowingly in Spanish.

Nico stared at him blankly, “English please.” He asked slowly.

Leo threw his arms, exasperatedly, “At first it was cool/ After a while, it wasn’t/ Nico please help me!”

“What exactly are you talking about and why are you talking wier..” he trailed off as realization hit him, “ Five-seven-five” he counted under his breath. Haiku… Apollo.

“I bet it was that stupid son of Apollo.” Nico gritted with all vehemence. “Wait, that’s why you were running around like a crazy person?” he asked, rephrasing what Jason Grace had said before.

“Yes, dunno, maybe?/ I think I’m high on Kool-Aid/ Oh and skittles too!”

“Who in their right mind-“

Leo butted in, “ But I mean, of course/ I’m so awesome, I got cursed/ Anyway, help me!”

Nico sent him a flat look, “Oh, awesome you say?”

“Oh come on NicoO0 MY GODS!” his eyes widen as a cold cold COLD bucket of water was poured on them. He looked up to see a grinning Jason Grace.

Nico stood frozen in shock with an expression that implied that he planned on murdering whoever was the innovator of this -what even was this? A prank?

A towel was thrown over their heads and Leo pulled it off.

But before the son of Hades could rage, Leo kissed him on the cheek, “ Happy birthday, Neeks” he whispered to his boyfriend.

Then he remembered. January 28th.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICO!” the rest of their supposedly ‘busy’ friends chimed.

“Was this bit really necessary?” Will groaned, handing them both dry towels.

“Of course!” the latino grinned. Though it really wasn’t. “Except that I wasn’t supposed to get doused too. Gods, why is this so cold?” he shivered then heated himself up a bit.

”Wait, this was all part of a dumb plan _he_ came up with??” Nico blurted accusingly, gesturing to his boyfriend.

“Yep!” Leo popped the ‘p’. Then he gave Nico a hug, either to dry him off or maybe just a nice literally warm hug. Why not both?

“Now,” he whispered, “You are an amazing person who deserves an amazing day so your call, ask for anything. No questions would be asked.”

“Really?”

Leo nodded in affirmation, “Mhm”

“Mythomagic.” He exclaimed simply, pulling the half-soggy cards from his pocket.

There was a collective graon.

Then he hald up a finger and clarified, “Except you, Will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit it, i have a problem.


	4. Dragons count right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Write a story from an animal's point of view

-

Fantasy! AU

-

The only thing Leo liked about being human was that that it was in only that form that he could show his owner how he felt, really, hugs were super hard when you are a 10-foot tall dragon and plus, when he was human, he could actually talk to his rider.

In Leo’s opinion, said rider was the best human being in the entire world. Nico di Angelo of the dragon clan was people who knew him called him while he went by ‘Hades’ to a bunch others who definitely have reason to hate him.

Yep, Hades, the young troublesome radiant bandit that was wanted across the lands.

Leo had known Nico pretty much all his life from that day all those years ago that his birth place had been raided and he had been sold off to the Royal Family of a faraway land he had ironically come to know as home.

His meeting with the young prince had been all but an accident. It had been one dark dark night as he made his way in an escape from the pens where the captured dragons were kept. They had both met quite coincidentally. Having been merely cub and toddler at the time, there had been initial fear but the young dragon had felt a bond to this human. Perhaps that’s what coaxed him to stay and they’d pretty much become inseparable ever since.

That is, until it was time for the boy to leave his kingdom and seek his own adventure in the lands beyond. Leo had been glad when Nico announced that he was taking his dragon accomplice along with him. Conquest, adventure, discovery. These had become their life. Just Leo and Nico questing across the unknowns and causing trouble because really, who needed rules? Pretty much everyone but that’s not the point!

It had been only a few months prior when Leo had discovered his astonishing ability to shift from enchanted creature to human and back. At first, he had been ecstatic because could you imagine, finally being able to tell the world all the words inside your head and let them know how you feel?

But really, like I said first, that was the only reason he adored being human. He had grown up learning to fly and control his fire and to fight and he began to find puny human bodies restricting to all his abilities oh, and not forgetting how hot and tight clothes were.

But today, he had to do this, just this once because it was for Nico. Any other reason, he’d have shoved it off a canyon or something.

He felt himself being nudged out of his thoughts and glanced over at the dark-haired prince, “Remember the plan.” Nico whispered,” You create a distraction and I get the sword. The sooner we’re done, the better. “he was reminded for the dozenth time that day.

“Yeah.” He whispered back, “I really don’t get how you humans stand this for so long?” he pulled at the collar of his button-down shirt. It felt like it was choking him.” I’m dying”

Nico let out a silent laugh, “Well, I’m sorry we’re not covered in scales instead.”

“That,” Leo muttered,” would have been much better.”

Nico rolled his eyes playfully. They had been over this pretty much every time Leo shifted.

‘ _No, you can’t walk around town naked, Leo.’, ‘That would be weird. Humans wear clothes to hide parts, you know.’, ‘No one wants to see your man-organs, Leo’, ‘So you’d rather get a cold than snuggle in these nice warm clothes?’_ and the whole cart of them. Some of the time on less important quests, Nico would let Leo have his way and avoid passers-by asking why a naked boy was following him about. But unfortunately, not today.

“And this is my stop,” Nico said, nodding to Leo before stealthily slipping into a side room hopefully unnoticed.

They had dared to infiltrate the Kingdom of Spells which may I say, was the most heavily guarded kingdom anyone could ever come across- and had come as far as to sneak into the castle, posing to be officials attending a strangely convenient ball that was scheduled for the night later. All in the name of a legendary sword that was believed to grant its wielder immense power that was yet to be unlocked. And of course, Nico being the magic enthusiast that he was, had wanted it. So here they were, plotting to steal a piece of rare metal from the most heavily guarded palace in all the lands. Yeah… life goals.

There was a loud shriek of pure perpetual fear and Leo realized, _Well, there goes the plan, time to improvise._

“Stay here.” The guard that had been escorting him and Nico commanded, “Wait, where’s your companion?”

“Lo Siento, signor”, Leo shrugged and put on a wicked grin.

Before the guard could yell, there was a huge bronze-scaled dragon sitting on top of him. Dragon-Leo bound back down the corridor in search of Nico.

But obviously, a huge dangerous dragon wouldn’t make it so far in such a small space.

The guards surrounded him with their basically worthless weapons aimed at him, did they really think that firespitters **(Guns)** and blunt little blades could stop him? His scales were literally impenetrable. He swatted about a dozen of them or so down with one swing of his tail.

The remainder fired a volley at him but yeah, guns… useless.

“Stand down.” Came a voice and the guards broke into an opening, making way for someone. And when Leo saw who, he bit back a curse. The soldiers couldn’t hurt him but the tall lady with the magic stick could. He really should have expected this when they had planned to sneak into a kingdom of powerful witches and warlocks.

“Stay down.” The lady repeated in her smooth silky voice forcing the guards to comply. “Now,” she turned to the cornered beast. “Look what we have here, an extremely rare and extremely valuable shifter.” She smiled softly, reaching an arm out to it. “And a young one too. Come to me, little one.” She called in a sugarcoated tone that he found, he couldn’t ignore.

Leo felt his breathing hitch in his throat as his body unwillingly began to advance towards the woman. Yes, dragon shifters like him were rare and expensive but what this lady was offering and all other like her and what they did, it was just sickening, selling something that had life too just for riches.

He tried to flap his wings in frustration or at least to stop himself from going to the woman but alas, the space was too cramped for him to stretch to full length.

It was when he was within an arm’s reach to the woman that panic began to set in. The woman kept smiling sweetly and anyone across the lands with a good mind and the ability to gossip knew her as Hecate, the loyal sorceress of the King of the land of spells. The most powerful being on earth.

He would never be able to escape her. Then abruptly, she faltered.

“What’s this?’ the lady shrieked when as swift as lightening, a dark obsidian blade was held to her throat as fifty or so guards lay sprawled out on the ground, either unconscious or bleeding enough to be left for dead. Leo smiled or whatever a dragon’s equivalent to a smile was. There his knight was, clad in leather, dark obsidian sword in hand slaying the evil witch.

“Leo, are you okay?” Nico asked with a concerned voice although careful not to remove his intense gaze from the quivering sorceress.

The dragon’s large scarlet eyes flashed a frenzy of emotions. Of course, Nico would save him, he always did.

Nico took his silence as confirmation before glaring down at the sorceress, “You will go and tell your king that _Hades_ was here and you will tell him what I have done” he drew his blade from her throat, allowing her to get away.

“So,” He turned to Leo, all spite in his voice gone, “at this point, our plan’s out the window.” He stated the obvious. “I got the sword though so we just need to escape now.”

Leo grunted since that was pretty much all of his vocabulary. _Yeah, but how? There are like five thousand more guards swarming this place by now. And I really don’t want to turn back into a meat sack._

“I know” Nico said out loud as if he had read Leo’s mind.

Leo thought for a moment then lowered his head for Nico to climb up to his back. There was no room to stretch his wings out in here but if he could just get outside…

And as if on cue, the roof came crashing down leaving behind a very large and oddly convenient dragon-sized hole. The odds must really have loved them today.

_And up we go._

“Hey you, stop!” a dozen or so mages called, hustling down the corridor towards them with wands out as they threw whatever spell their way.

But the duo weas already out.

Leo flew like the wind till they were sure the city gates were far behind them; he slowed down and craned his neck back to see Nico grinning at him. Then Nico laughed.

He liked it when Nico laughs.

“Well, that was strangely successful! You did an awesome job!” he praised patting the dragon’s scaled side.

_Me? Nah, you were the awesome one! As always._

“The way you took down all those guards!” he continued,” And that guy. That guy, you were all like, ‘ _Lo Siento, Signor_.’ Like, what does that even mean!?”

Honestly, Leo had no idea.

“You know what?” Nico asked, “Fly us off to Argo. We totally deserve a treat”

Leo flashed his shark-like teeth in exhilaration, very much liking that idea and sped up a little.

The sun was setting, another day of thievery and vice done and bronze dragon and rider flew off into the orange glow off to wherever destiny would take them. Though now, it was presumedly the little village of Argo, but who knows? They might fight a drakon on the way or a minotaur or maybe discover a mermaid cove or a lost satyr tribe. The many possibilities.

Leo heard Nico sigh as he laid back on his back, the obsidian bladed sword held up to the approaching night sky in examination.

He could almost hear Nico’s heart beat and flapped his wings steadily with the faint thrum.

He hoped this could last for a very very long time called forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very well aware that i am not doing this 30 days thing right.
> 
> And, I think dragons still count as animals. Now hush!
> 
> And… Kudos to whoever got the anime reference from this entire chapter. You are Plus Ultra!


End file.
